The Air Force Academy says Bible verses shared on social media by a football assistant coach were done so on a personal account and therefore not a violation of policy or law.
The Academy was responding to a request from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation to investigate what it called “Christian evangelizing via twitter, blatantly defying Air Force regulations.”
The issue stemmed from multiple tweets sent by tight ends coach Steed Lobotzke in which he shared Bible verses on an account with the handle, CoachLobotzke. The Twitter bio reads “Follower of Christ, family man, and football coach. Tweets are my own views.”
The account has come under the crosshairs of MRFF and its president, Mikey Weinstein.
Weinstein’s efforts to wipe out all Christian speech from the academy, his alma mater, began in 2004 when he helped bring a reprimand for then-coach Fisher DeBerry for hanging a banner in the locker room that read, “I am a member of Team Jesus.”
He called Lobotzke’s twitter description and tweets “unchecked Christian extremism.”
The Air Force Academy responded by saying it found nothing wrong with Lobotzke’s posts on a personal account adding, “The Academy remains committed to protecting individuals’ right to practice any religion they choose or no religion.”
The Colorado Springs Gazette asked Weinstein for a comment to the Academy’s ruling. He responded with an expletive.